Controversies surrounding the impact of the fat content of beef on human health

ByJennifer Fleming, Penny Kris-Etherton, Penn State University, USA

Whether ‘red’ or ‘processed meat’ intake is related to adverse health outcomes in the US
population and other developed countries is a topic under intense debate. Beef, lamb and
pork all are typically labelled as ‘red meats’; however, beef is the most prevalent source
of red meat in the US diet (55%; beefUSA.org). Despite this, few studies have specifically
investigated the relationship between beef consumption and cardiovascular disease (CVD),
which will be the primary focus of this chapter. Some studies, of note, have evaluated the
relationship between red meat (not distinguishing beef) and CVD. Like many other foods,
guidelines for meat consumption in cardiovascular health were based historically on the
research conducted on isolated nutrients (i.e. saturated fat and cholesterol). Epidemiologic
studies have linked beef (as well as other red meat) consumption to increased CVD, cancer
mortality, acute myocardial infarction and metabolic syndrome. In contrast, however, there
also are numerous epidemiologic studies that have not reported an association between
beef (and other red meat) consumption and CVD. It is important to note that epidemiologic
studies of nutrition and chronic disease do not establish whether the relationships are real or
simply random associations. Concerns about whether red or processed meat causes adverse
outcomes cannot simply be justified because epidemiologic studies might not adequately
account for fat content, meat processing treatments and cooking methods. These factors
can modify the health effects of lean red meat (i.e. specifically, beef) in the diet. For example,

it is important to distinguish the health outcomes that result from processed meats versus
unprocessed red meat, and for the purposes of this chapter, lean beef.